Bernhardin Samson, a Franciscan monk of Milan,
crossed the St. Gotthard to Switzerland in August, 1518, as apostolic
general commissioner for the sale of indulgences. He is the Tetzel of
Switzerland, and equalled him in the audacious profanation of holy
things by turning the forgiveness of sins and the release from
purgatorial punishment into merchandise. He gave the preference to the
rich who were willing to buy letters of indulgence on parchment for a
crown. To the poor he sold the same article on common paper for a few
coppers. In Berne he absolved the souls of all the departed Bernese of
the pains of purgatory. In Bremgarten he excommunicated Dean Bullinger
(the father of Henry) for opposing his traffic. But in Zurich he was
stopped in his career.

Zwingli had long before been convinced of the
error of indulgences by Wyttenbach when he studied in Basle. He had
warned the people against Samson at Einsiedeln. He exerted his
influence against him in Zurich; and the magistracy, and even the
bishop of Constance (who preferred to sell indulgences himself)
supported the opposition. Samson was obliged to return to Italy with
his "heavy, three-horse wagon of gold." Rome had learned a lesson of
wisdom from Luther’s Theses, and behaved in the case
of Samson with more prudence and deference to the sentiment of the
enlightened class of Catholics. Leo X., in a brief of April, 1519,
expressed his willingness to recall and to punish him if he had
transgressed his authority.5353 Mörikofer, I.
65 sqq.

The opposition to the sale of indulgences is the
opening chapter in the history of the German Reformation, but a mere
episode in the Swiss Reformation. That battle had been fought out
victoriously by Luther. Zwingli came in no conflict with Rome on this
question, and was even approved for his conduct by Dr. Faber, the
general vicar of the diocese of Constance, who was then his friend, but
became afterwards his enemy.